Sewerage District Looks to the Future

60 4 minutes read

By Zendelle Bouchard

The Sanford Sewerage District’s new building is projected to be ready for occupancy in early summer.

Photos: Sanford Sewerage District

The Sanford Sewerage District is bustling with activity, with several new capital projects recently completed, in the works or in the planning stages. Superintendent André Brousseau, who provided an update to the City Council at its Nov. 4 meeting, said these projects will help the district work more efficiently and respond to issues more quickly.

The biggest current project is the SSD’s new administration and maintenance building, which will put all operations under one roof. It is being built by local contractor TPD Construction at the treatment plant off Gavel Road. Ten of the district’s 16 pump stations are within one mile of this location, enabling faster response time to trouble-shoot maintenance issues. The new building was designed by local architect Jo-Ann Cavanaugh, who implemented building efficiency as the number one goal, with the design geared around insulated concrete blocks made locally by Genest. The new facility will allow SSD to store most of its equipment indoors, protected from the elements for a longer lifespan.

A permanent generator has been installed at the pump station next to Mercy Chapel in South Sanford.

Brousseau described recent infrastructure improvements:

Last year on River Street, 655 feet of new pipe was installed, with new hinged and gasketed manhole covers where asphalt was replaced. Over 1,000 feet of pipe was relined using trenchless technology that avoids digging up the roadway.
Just recently on Harris Street in Springvale, 240 feet of new pipe was installed with new manhole structures and covers
In October, a new manhole structure was installed at the corner of Howard and Roles streets in Springvale.
Earlier this year, 300 feet of 24-inch pipe on Bougie Lane was relined, and 330 feet of redundant pipe was removed. Brousseau described this as a major trunk line that carries about a third of the city’s wastewater flow.
Six pump stations now have permanent generators so that operations can continue during power outages. Control panels have been installed in five of them. The Millbrook station at the corner of Twombley and Sugar Hill roads has been refitted with all new pumps, valves and piping. Next summer, the airport pump station will have work done. Pumps at the Mousam station on Jagger Mill Road were not working efficiently and have been upgraded with a system that pumps 24 hours a day.
The district added two new large pieces of equipment in the past two years. A Vactor jet truck cleans the lines and responds to emergency backups, and a camera van enables operators to inspect the sewer lines and identify potential problems.
On the administrative side of things, SSD’s new billing system came online in May, enabling customers to set up automatic online payments. The district’s new logo was designed by an employee with artistic talent.

The Vactor jet truck is used for routine maintenance as well as sewer backups.

The video equipment inside the camera van helps SSD personnel ensure sewer problems are addressed.

Eliminating extraneous flow

Brousseau said one of the factors inflating the cost of services is the extraneous flow of water coming into the system. In addition to treating influent (the dirty water that flows from the sinks, showers and toilets in our homes), the district also receives water that comes from catch basins, flat roof drains and incorrectly plumbed sump pumps. Since this water doesn’t go through the Sanford Water District metering system, it can’t be billed for. Recently, SSD eliminated extraneous stormwater coming from roof leaders at the former Notre Dame School building. Brousseau estimated about 150,000 gallons of water was entering the system annually from this building alone.

Customers will eventually be required to eliminate extraneous water coming from flat roofs and sump pumps on their properties, but Brousseau said they will have years of warning before this is instituted.

The RAISE Grant downtown reconstruction project will include a new pipe to catch stormwater from the street, while allowing the businesses with flat roofs to separate their discharge at the same time. Brousseau will be attending the RAISE Grant public meeting on Nov. 20 from 6-8 pm at City Hall to answer any questions from residents.

Other projects the district has planned include a new UV disinfection system to replace one that is no longer supported by the manufacturer; replacement of a 45-year-old generator at the treatment plant; flow boxes for short-term storage lagoons; a mechanical screen upgrade at the Mousam pump station; and the installation of a material grinder at the Goodall pump stations. These five projects are projected to cost $7 million, so SSD may bond the projects or seek state revolving funds.

The SSD’s current UV treatment system is still in good condition, but replacement parts are becoming difficult to get.

A leader in Maine

Brousseau said SSD operates one of the most advanced wastewater treatment plants in the state, rated for over 3.48 million gallons. In October alone, over one million gallons of septage (hauled waste from septic systems) were treated. The facility is the largest septage receiver in York County.

SSD recently participated in a pilot study using cloth filtering to streamline the filtration process. Cloth filtering may be necessary in the future if the district is required to reduce PFAS (forever chemicals) in its effluent. SSD also has plans to participate in a Super Critical Water Oxidation Study looking at using a system that employs heat and pressure to destroy organic matter, including PFAS. Byproducts of the system would be pure water that needs no treatment, and dried mineral-rich residue that may have commercial uses.

SSD is part of the statewide sampling program which can warn health officials of virus outbreaks before they are apparent.

Facts and figures

SSD has 13 staff members, a five-member board, 73 miles of pipe, 2,200 sanitary sewer manhole structures, 16 pump stations and close to 4,900 accounts. As of the end of October, the district has treated 437.9 million gallons of influent this year.

The Sewerage District. doesn’t serve the entire city due to the topography. Its system extends from Deering Neighborhood Road in Springvale to Route 99 in the south end of town.